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Bent Bananas
By h.b. - Sep 18, 2007 - 7:34 AM
ALSO SEE : • Mackerel Semen the new culinary delight from top Spanish chef - Mar 13, 2008 - 12:03 AM
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Vintage advertising for Olive Oil - Image -www.imagespain.com
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Europe wants to introduce new labelling on healthy food
EDITORIAL COMMENT

I don’t know whether it’s the effect of the British media on me during my youth, but the mention of European regulations is almost expected to be followed by something daft. It was all part of a British tabloid media campaign to turn us against the Eurocrats no doubt, but there it is – along with the legislation on straight cucumbers and curved bananas.

I thought it was an urban legend, but a little research on the Internet tells me that European Regulation 2257/94 on the curvature of bananas really does exist. No more than 10mm in every 10 cm apparently.

You are probably now expecting me to mention the Canary Island bananas which tend to be small and really quite curved. They also happen to be the most tasty, - surely that’s what matters?

Ok perhaps if they are good for you, Potassium and all that, straight or not, we should be told that as well…

Well the European Union are one step ahead of me. They have already started work on making a list of health foodstuffs, so that a nice new designer ‘healthy’ label can be attached. So far reports indicate that some milk products, cereals, vegetables and fruit (curved or not) is now on the list. But in the Eurocrats’ infinite wisdom Olive Oil has been left out.

I’m not sure why – maybe because there is a section on the EU website called ‘From the Farm to the Fork’, and where does that leave Olive Oil? In fact it seems the Euro experts have dismissed all fats, without distinction.

But who has ever heard any expert anywhere say Olive Oil is bad for you. It even stops the pantry door from squeaking. Maybe living now in Andalucía I am influenced again by the local publicity but surely Olive Oil is nothing short of liquid gold.

The Spanish Government has now turned to a team of scientists, who have drawn up a report on the beneficial effects of Olive Oil, so it can be sent to Brussels. 100 pages on Olive Oil’s ability to get rid of bad cholesterol, as an antitoxin, and even as a way to slow down the ageing process.

The good news is that the EU has given itself two more years before making the list public, two more years of arguments, papers and debate, before, just maybe, a new label on the bottle will tell you what you already know:-

Olive Oil is good for you.


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